Snow storm barrels through Midwest to Mid-Atlantic

Bundled against the cold, wet conditions, University of Wisconsin-Madison student Natalie Weill makes her way through the campus' Library Mall as a steady snowstorm moves throughout the Madison, Wis. area Tuesday, March 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Wisconsin State Journal, John Hart)

Onlookers take pictures in front of Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, as they walk around the Millennium Park as a snow storm passes through the region Tuesday, March 5, 2013, in Chicago. Chicago was hit Tuesday by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day -- the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

CHICAGO (AP) -- A late winter storm packing up to 10 inches of snow sent officials in weather-hardened Chicago into action Tuesday to prevent a repeat of scenes from two years ago, when hundreds of people in cars and buses were stranded on the city's marquee thoroughfare during a massive blizzard.

The storm was part of a system that started in in Montana, hit the Dakotas and Minnesota on Monday and then barreled through Wisconsin and Illinois on its way to Washington, D.C., where it was expected late Tuesday night. As the storm pushed toward the Mid-Atlantic region, people there were gathering supplies and airlines were canceling flights.

Since the 2011 blizzard that dumped 20 inches on Chicago, the nation's third-largest city has had it pretty easy snow-wise, with a relatively mild winter last year and a slow start this year. The storm that was moving through the Midwest on Tuesday dumped 6 inches at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport by 4 p.m.

Some in Chicago were caught off guard by the last gasp from Old Man Winter. Many ended up leaving their downtown jobs early, some saying they had to go home to take care of children after school programs were canceled or baby sitters couldn't make it.

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"I thought it was just media hype," said Stacia Kopplin, who was fleeing her financial services job shortly after noon to try to catch a train home to the suburbs.

Meanwhile schools were closed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, where officials urged caution on snow-slickened roads. In western Wisconsin, a semi-trailer slid off a snow-covered interstate near Menomonie and into the Red Cedar River, killing one person. Authorities said they were searching for a second person, believed to be a passenger.

Airlines canceled more than 1,100 flights at Chicago airports, prompting delays and closures at others around the region. Airlines along the storm's projected path were already cutting flights too, including about 450 on Wednesday, most of them at Dulles and Reagan National airports in the Washington area, according to FlightAware.com. Daniel Baker, CEO of the flight-tracking service, said he expected the numbers to rise.

In Chicago, officials worked to keep Lake Shore Drive safe. The February 2011 blizzard embarrassed the city when hundreds of cars and buses were entombed in snow on the roadway that runs along Lake Michigan. Many people were trapped overnight.

City government took steps to prevent a repeat. Officials opened a removable barrier in the median of the four-lane roadway to allow emergency vehicles quicker access to trouble spots. Plows and salt-spreading trucks were also in easier striking distance of Lake Shore Drive, and they started treating the roadway hours before snow began falling.

The preparation, including warnings to commuters about the storm, may have paid off. Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey said in an email that traffic was lighter than normal on Chicago expressways Tuesday afternoon, an indication that many people took public transportation instead of cars. Claffey also said there were no reports of any major traffic accidents.

Elsewhere along the storm's path, some were taking the snow in stride.

"It's not that bad at all," said 47-year-old Alicia Aldrete, who was out walking her dog in Madison, Wis. "Just make sure you shovel immediately, put lots of salt on the ground and also store lots of food in case of emergency."

Dave Koch, manager at Paul's Tavern in Dubuque, Iowa, said business was surprisingly busy this afternoon as people came in to escape the snow. At least 5 inches of snow had fallen.

"In general, everyone's attitude is pretty tired," Koch said. "I think people are tired of the snow and the gloomy weather."

In St. Paul, Minn., where 7 inches of snow had fallen, 55-year-old Mario Showers was shoveling sidewalks around a downtown church.

"With Minnesota, ain't no telling when the snow's gonna come, you know," said Showers. "The way I think about it is that, you've got four seasons, and every season brings about a change, you know. So, you've got to take the bitter with the sweet, that's all. So this is the bitter right now."

Further east, people were preparing for the storm, causing a run at some supermarkets.

"Well, I have an inclination to think that it's not going to be as bad as they say it is, but it probably will be. So, it's better to be prepared, just in case," said 33-year-old Ann Oulobo, who was stocking up on medicine and other necessities in Baltimore County, Md., after shopping for groceries earlier in the day.

At the Food Lion in Staunton, Va., shelves that were stocked ahead of the storm were being cleared by customers.

People in Washington, D.C., were bracing for 3 to 7 inches. The mountains of western Maryland could get up to 16 inches by Wednesday night. Minor tidal flooding was possible along the Delaware coast, the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay and the lower Potomac River, the National Weather Service said.

As miserable as things could get for commuters, taxi driver Balwinder Singh of Herndon, Va., said he was looking forward to the storm.

"People tip better in the snow," he said.

As the heaviest snow fell in Chicago, residents were working their shovels and snow-blowers.

Pat Reidy said she skipped work and did 40 minutes of yoga as a warm-up for the heavy lifting she was doing in her neighborhood near Wrigley Field.

"We don't want her digging out," he said. "She's a tender, little woman, a piano teacher. She doesn't need to be shoveling."

Chicago's love-thy-neighbor ethos has its limits, though. With the winter blast, Morawski expected the return of an old city tradition in which residents clear a parking space and keep it reserved with a lawn chair.

"They'll all come out tonight, believe me, when people start digging out," he said.